Jeremy learned this song while he was in France with Northern Harmony from a group of singers called Haut les Choeurs near Rennes in Brittany. The song itself comes from much further south and is in the Occitan language. It was written by the singer and activist Laurent Cavalié as a protest against the proposal of a new prison in Toulouse.
It takes the traditional form of an Occitan counting-down-from-nine song. The first verse says “Nine pieces of charcoal for writing, nine thoughts for mulling over written on the walls of nine prisons. He who is sound of body will go crazy in prison.” The ensuing verses have fewer and fewer of each of those things, descending–as we like to say–further into madness.
Astute listeners may notice that the number four doesn’t appear in the song. This is a common feature of Occitan counting songs and apparently comes from superstition, the number four being considered unlucky.
Noù carbons per escriure
Noù pensadas pel ministre
Sus la paret de noù prisons
Lo qu’es bon e ben anant
Ven capbord o ben michant
